


Good Thing

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Chemistry Major Moon Taeil, M/M, Photography Major Johnny Youngho | Johnny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:55:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24531910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Talking to you is really refreshing, you know that? I was about ready to throw myself out a window earlier, but somehow I feel better now.""Youlookedlike you wanted to throw yourself out a window earlier." Johnny punches his phone number into Taeil's phone, saving it as "Johnny 😘" before handing it back to him. "We should hang out sometime. You know, when we're not on the verge of yeeting ourselves into outer space because of midterm stress.""Subtle," Taeil laughs upon seeing Johnny's contact name. "I could use a break right now if you're not busy. Don't really have any money to do anything, but I've got coffee back in my dorm."-Or, Johnny is whipped for Taeil.Verywhipped, despite having just met the man, and he can't seem to figure out why.
Relationships: Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	Good Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Happy pride month, guys!

The first time Johnny sees him is in the library. He's hunched over a chemistry book with an anguished look on his face and his fingers pressed against his temples, and Johnny can't help but feel a little bad despite not knowing who he is. Midterm season is no joke and he'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't relate in at least some semblance.

He's got light brown hair that's being held out of his face with a pair of glasses resting just above his forehead, and his oversized V-neck shirt is just the slightest bit askew on his shoulders, revealing prominent collar bones and a broadness to his shoulder that never would have been noticeable underneath his shirt. He's kind of cute in a soft, nondescript way, and Johnny finds himself wondering if that's intentional.

"Can I sit here?" he asks, pointing to the empty chair across the table. "I was over there until some dick decided to spill coffee all over my portfolio."

"Oh no, that's awful," the man replies with wide eyes as Johnny holds up a handful of coffee stained papers. He quickly moves his books to the side, clearing the space across from him so that there would be room for Johnny to fan out. "I wondered why I heard arguing."

"Yeah." Johnny drops his bag onto the ground and sits down to assess the damage. "The good news is that I'm a photography major, so everything I do is saved in at least three different places. The bad news, however..." His face sinks as he realizes how much it's going to cost him to reprint everything. "Is that this counts for more than half of my grade, and I don't think I have a choice but to print it all a second time. I'm too broke for this."

"I've never related to something so much. I had shredded cheese for breakfast this morning because I had to choose between buying eggs or paying for a scantron so I could retake a test." The man crosses his his arms over the table and rests his head in the crook of his elbow, and gives Johnny a sidelong glance out of the corner of his eye. "I'm Taeil, by the way. Moon Taeil."

"John Suh, but call me Johnny. You must be a senior."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Maybe a little," Johnny smiles. "You guys all look the same. Stressed out and devoid of anything that’s...well, not stress, I guess."

"You're not wrong." Taeil sighs and moves his head so that his face is buried in his arms now. "What year are you in?"

"Third. I'm a junior. Can't wait to be feeling what you're feeling. You know, 'cause I'm not stressed enough already, and that's with one more year to go. Are you a science major?"

Taeil grunts as he touches his chemistry book with his elbow. "Chemistry, yeah. Wanna get into analytical chemistry after I graduate."

"I have no idea what that even means, but it sounds...fancy?"

"Not really." Taeil lifts his head from his arms and rubs his eyes before putting his gasses on properly and looking at Johnny head on now. "It's basically just science revolving around the properties of matter."

Johnny doesn't say anything for a moment, instead just staring at Taeil with a blank look on his face as he tries to figure out why the hell somebody would want to do that voluntarily. "I've never been good at science, at least when it comes to the math portion of things. I'm not good with numbers."

"Which is fine because I'd bet most people are no good with cameras. I'm definitely not. I know your photos got ruined, but...can I see them before you toss 'em?"

"Oh! Um, yeah! For sure," Johnny replies, sounding shocked at the fact that somebody wanted to see his work. He gathers them all together and taps them onto the table so they're all in line with each other, and hands the stack over to Taeil with a smile. "I was originally majoring in film, but I decided to switch when I realized how much I loved photojournalism."

"These are really good, Johnny," Taeil remarks as he flips through the different pages. "Like, _really_ good. I like the fact that--wait a minute, I think I'm in this one." He sets the stack of paper onto the table and leans in closely, laughing when he recognizes himself. He slides the photograph over to Johnny and places a finger beside where he and another student are lounging in the grass with Taeil's arms wrapped around him. "This was during pride. That's me and my younger sibling. They had just come out to me and I was hugging them because they were so terrified that our parents wouldn't accept them."

"You're kidding." Johnny picks up the photo and brings it in close to his face, his mouth hanging open as he squints. "Holy shit, that _is_ you! You have to let me give you a copy. I can crop and enlarge it for you if you want."

"Really?!" Taeil exclaims. He slaps his hands over his mouth with an excited gasp and bounces up and down in his seat. "That would mean everything. Haechan would _love_ that, oh my god."

"Time is fleeting, but memories are forever. Exactly why I love photojournalism so much." Johnny can't help but feel giddy over how excited Taeil is. It's cute, and the fact that he (unknowingly) managed to capture such an important moment for him made his heart swell. "I don't mean for this to come off as rude or insensitive, but when you say 'came out', I'm assuming you mean as transgender or something? Just based off of context."

"Yeah, actually! Nonbinary. The first thing most people ask is 'do you mean your brother or your sister?', and it's like? Hello? I would have said brother or sister if I meant brother or sister. I don't care if people ask, but at least ask nicely like you did." Taeil takes his phone out of his pocket and unlocks it before handing it to Johnny. "They go here, too. They're a freshman."

"You said their name is Haechan, right?" Johnny smiles, suddenly feeling soft. He'd just met Taeil but it's already clear how genuine of a guy he is. "Fitting, really, with a smile like that. Somebody call Colgate and tell them to contact you guys, holy shit. Full sun, indeed."

"Talking to you is really refreshing, you know that? I was about ready to throw myself out a window earlier, but somehow I feel better now."

"You _looked_ like you wanted to throw yourself out a window earlier. Not that I'm glad my stuff got destroyed because I really am _not_ looking forward to having to print it all again, but it _did_ get me to talk to you, so. I guess it's okay." Johnny punches his phone number into Taeil's phone, saving it as "Johnny 😘" before handing it back to him. "We should hang out sometime. You know, when we're not on the verge of yeeting ourselves into outer space because of midterm stress."

"Subtle," Taeil laughs upon seeing Johnny's contact name. "I could use a break right now if you're not busy. Don't really have any money to do anything, but I've got coffee back in my dorm."

"You have a coffee pot? How the hell did you manage to get that past the RA?"

"Never said I have a pot. I said I have coffee, as in I have instant coffee flakes and access to hot water."

Johnny laughs out loud at that, and leans back in his chair before following Taeil's direction and gathering his things. "Anything to get me out of this godforsaken place. I feel like I live here."

"Ugh. Same. Pretty sure my ass would have become one with the chair if I had stayed here any longer."

The longer Johnny looks at him, the more decidedly cute Taeil gets. He's a good five or so inches shorter than he is, something Johnny notices only after he stands up, and his lips are the kind of plump that can only be described as kissable. His shirt is slightly less baggy now that he's standing and the light pastel gray color matches his shoes almost exactly. Soft guys normally aren't something he's willing to chase after simply because he just prefers the look and aesthetic of masculine guys more, but as with everything in life, exceptions can definitely be made.

"You ready?"

"Yeah." Johnny slings his backpack over his shoulder and nods toward the library's back exit, signaling for Taeil to lead the way. "Just let me trash these photos first. Remind me to print two of the one with you and Haechan."

Taeil's dorm is about what Johnny expects it to be. Clean, not very cluttered, and overall, just very plain. It's the complete opposite of his dorm, which almost always has junk anywhere that junk can be stored. He's not a hoarder, not by any means, but when he finds something that strikes his interest, he sees no reason to get rid of it if it makes him happy.

"Remind me to never invite you to my dorm," he says, trying (and failing) to find even one thing out of place. "It's so messy that it'd probably give you a heart attack."

"It's not like I'm a clean freak or anything," Taeil replies, giving the kind of laugh that's more just exhaling through his nose rather than an actual laugh. "I just can't focus when things are messy. It makes it hard to concentrate because I get all panicky knowing that I need to clean it up before it gets worse and...I guess that would make me a clean freak, wouldn't it?"

"You said it, not me."

"But that doesn't mean I'm not still offended." Taeil points toward his bed, which is nicely made with matching blue sheets and pillow cases, and urges Johnny to sit down. "Sit, sit. I feel all awkward with you just standing there."

Johnny puts his hands up in surrender and does as he's told, taking a seat on the end furthest away from the pillows. "Okay, okay, sorry. Dorm room etiquette, I know. Do you not have a roommate?"

"I did, but when I hung that up-" Taeil looks over his shoulder and nods toward the pansexual pride flag hanging a few feet above his nightstand. "-he decided he was 'no longer comfortable being around me'."

"Wait, they let him switch rooms? Just like that?" Johnny had been trying to get rid of his roommate for the better part of the year with no luck. "Seems a little counter intuitive when you think about it, giving him what he wants just for being an asshole."

"I think they did it more for my sake than for his, honestly. Do I look like I could defend myself if I were to get into a fight?"

"I guess not. Can I ask you something just out of curiosity? You can tell me to fuck off if you don't wanna answer it."

"Well, since you put it that way, sure." Taeil turns away from his desk and shakes the container of instant coffee back and forth with a questioning look. "But first, how strong do you like your coffee?"

"Stronger than Thor after taking a bunch of steroids."

"Steroids don't make you strong, they just make you big."

" _Okay_ , but you get what I'm saying."

"Just ask me whatever you wanted to ask." The tone in Taeil's voice is annoyed but the smile on his face says otherwise as he turns back to his desk and begins spooning coffee into two little paper cups. "I won't tell you to fuck off, don't worry."

Johnny purses his lips and hopes that he means that. "In that photo I have of you and Haechan, you said they were terrified of your parents not accepting them. Assuming that you're pansexual because of--"

"You're assuming correctly."

"--the flag you have up there, which is awesome, by the way. I'd like to know where you got it so I can find a bisexual one." Taeil's eyes widen at that, although it isn't _too much_ of a surprise after the way Johnny saved his contact name in his phone. "I'm guessing you've been out for a while, right? Haechan wouldn't have been afraid of rejection if they had no prior reason to be."

"Way to ask me a question without actually asking me what you're _really_ trying to ask." Taeil hands Johnny his coffee before sitting down next to him, his lips hovering above the edge of his own cup as he ponders Johnny's words. "To answer your very vague and weirdly worded question, no, they didn't accept Haechan, and no, they don't accept me either. How do your parents feel about it?"

"I don't know," Johnny replies honestly. "I'm American and my parents are back home in Illinois. I'm here on a school visa and plan on getting a work visa over the next year and a half. I didn't realize that I liked men until I got here, and I still haven't told them."

"Ah." Johnny's question suddenly makes sense, and Taeil feels bad for not being able to give him the answer he was hoping for. "You wanted advice on how to go about telling them."

"Or how to cope if they decide they want nothing to do with me."

The two of them sit in silence as they drink their coffee, neither of them really knowing what to say after that. Johnny isn't normally one to ask probing questions or to give away his entire life story after just meeting someone, but for some reason he can't quite put his finger on, he feels comfortable with Taeil despite only knowing each other for just over an hour.

"This is super weird, isn't it."

"Yeah, a little," Taeil agrees. "But I don't hate it. It's a nice change of pace."

Johnny doesn't ask what he means by that, and continues sipping his coffee while trying to think of something interesting to say. "I just told you that I'm American and you didn't ask any questions."

"I don't have any questions."

"Huh." Everyone always has questions when they find out Johnny is American. "You're right. This is a nice change of pace. We should hang out."

"Johnny, we _are_ hanging out."

"Oh. Well, we should hang out more often than just right now."

"Believe it or not, I agree with that wholeheartedly. You wanna watch a movie or something? It feels kinda good to not be studying for once."

"It does, doesn't it?" Johnny flops back onto Taeil's bed and flinches when his head hits the wall. " _Ow_. I guess I'm too tall to be doing that."

Taeil laughs as he does the same thing, falling backwards and giving Johnny a smirk when his head hits nothing but the mattress. "Can't relate."

"Just pick a movie before this turns into a headache and I don't wanna watch anymore."

"Aye-aye, captain. Just leave it to me."


End file.
